responses to last week's threats about war

post #354

       This week I want to speak up from within poetry and photography. I want to lament some of the current fashion for bully tactics, name calling and contemplation of bombs and annililation. Many of us are not in the least amused by fruitless threats of warfare. There are always other options, some requiring knowledege and thought-through plans, ones that may not show instant results but which have more of a chance for staying power. Other writers can lay out these options with more coherence than I possess, but, at this point in time, as a citizen of this nation, I am feeling compelled to draw on my art, so to speak, to try to make  some sense and to support compassion in the face of greed.
           Last week my monthly writers group met, in Lexington, and I was very moved by this poem that Martha Gehringer had written. So I asked her if I could share it, with a few photos of mine. Thank you, Martha, for your poetry.          Poetry and imaging help me to see things in new ways, to find the hope that is always somewhere there, and to reach across the stuck parts of our lives. Thank you, artists all.

 

Antecedent

“South Korea is finding, as I have told them,

that their talk of appeasement with North Korea

will not work, they only understand one thing.”

 Trump Tweet, 2 hrs ago

The morning before something big—

some big thing like this that looms,

we take in the view from where we sit—

the late summer garden, green still,

though bedraggled.  Our limelight

hydrangeas blooming soft against the sky—

 

against a looming sky.  See how they have

gone from chartreuse to white to pinkish now—

How they hang—heavy—wet mop heads—

mop heads they are called.  And the arc

of them on their weakish stems such a lovely,

lovely, lovely lank.  Beyond them, all still

green, the ivy leaves, the clover leaves,

the broad and promising leaves of violets.

Come Spring, they will (at least for now

we still believe they will) make purple flower.

The tall grasses in the neighbor’s field

are full of what cannot be seen but surely

surely is there.  Yes. 

Nonetheless. 

Yes. 

summer summary

post #353
     Is summary another way to say "this or that?"  Well, in case it is, I've made an effort to give this post some shape and form.... Thus I begin with GARDENS. The first photo is a reminder of what a vegetable looks like in early summer:

And then what a vibrant "End of Summer" plant looks like in someone else's garden than mine. Thank you, Margie and George. A neighbor told me that name many years ago, and it has stayed with me:

As for wild flowers, here are three fairly showy ones at this time. First to come and mostly go is the JOE-PYE WEED, which butterflies love as do I:

By now we are having what I'd call brassy IRON WEED everywhere, including in the meadow near my house.  This plant can be a favorite in real gardens as well -- stalky but intense:

The third plant today is a favorite of mine, since I followed several of them for an entire twelve months a few years ago. Of course they are also well known for being essential to the monarch butterflies:  MILKWEED

I was so excited when I came across this patch of milkweed, with pods, two weeks ago, including an early pod sending out its seeds to float to who knows where. 

I took my granddaughter by to visit them. She already knew all about their butterfly connection. I love her plant matching glasses with which she often adorns herself these days:

For the devoted among you, here are two more photos of her, the first one during Cousin Camp, out by the pond:

The second one is of her first time soccer team, which is a very end of summer happening. Go team!! Clever eyes might be able to figure out which person is her dad and a coach:

  Well, truth be told, another late summer activity around here is helicopters out and about, looking for a forbidden crop. I wasn't using my 300 mm lens for that photo. The thing was just close, and loud. I don't know what they found, if anything. I haven't had time yet to ask my neighbors what the real scoop is.

Last but not least, another photo of my gallery, since three weeks ago I forgot to include the phone number to call to make an appointment to come out.  606 738 6119   I'm not that close to anything else, so I'd hate for someone to drive all the way out here only to find that I'm not there. Thanks.

If you are very lucky when you come, the pond here might have mist and birds and maybe even deer.  In case it doesn't, here is a recent photo from my house to your house to feed the imagination:

Next week: a friend's poem, with a couple of my photos....
 

walking where a poet works

post #352
       Recently I had lunch and a walk with friends W. and T. who live on the Kentucky River. Their part of Kentucky is not in Appalachia, but, in our state, artists, writers and social action people are very connected and supportive of one another. It's one of the amazing riches that our state seems to create. I met W. with other writers and photographers he had gathered up to begin some awareness of the terrible harm done by mountaintop removal mining. Articles, poems, books, and artworks grew out of this shared effort over a long period of time. Yes, MTR mining is better known and understood by now, but the clean water and community health issues continue to be as urgent as ever. Many of us continue with this work and more.
      After our lunch and the visit part, W. went back to work, and I took a walk. It's wonderfully flat there along the river. Here are a few photos that I made just because I was happy, grateful and energized to be there on such a beautiful afternoon. Thank you, friends, as always, for your kindness and generosity and caring about so many things.

what's hot on a winter stove in August....

This looked like a grand palace entrance to me....

 

I love a gate and always have.

       On the way back to my car, I suddenly felt I wanted to try to capture where I was as if in a dream to take with me to revisit. So, first, here's what my eyes saw, there on the poet's path, and then I made a photo how it "really" looked as I got ready to return to a more public place. I have no idea if it works for anyone else. But, believe me, I loved giving it a try.

        There is so much to say. I hope my photos speak as well as my words might. 
        I'll save my thoughts about what goes on in the world until next week. Thank you for visiting my post this week.

This year's annual 4H competition and sale, in Sandy Hook

post #351
      I was so excited this year to take my granddaughter to her first 4H day that I forgot my camera at the house! I am not proud. So all these photos were taken with my iPhone6s. In the beginning I was able to give T. the phone to take photos with. She may be only 6, but she is an ace. She did do some exploring with it, which was the whole idea. By the time we needed to leave, we were both tired, and I would have been more tired if I was using my big camera. It turns out I was coming down with a cold, which I haven't done for years. This is all very annoying, especially since I can't complain because it happens so rarely....

       Always start an event with a concession hot dog!

     
        Three photos by T.. I think the rabbits were her favorites.

   Sandy introduces T. to two handsome, well groomed goats:

    A small puppy was the center of quite a bit of attention, while we waited for the judge, who was a half hour late....

    Finally, the judging started, first the rabbits and then the hens.

 

       going for a better view of the cages:

   The goat cheat sheet, since the judge was likely to ask about goat parts:

     
          In the ring, with the judge checking her goat -- I don't know what question she got, if any, but she and her sister (on the right) received top prizes.

       This was the last ever competition for Jayla, on the right, since she has graduated from high school and has gone off to college, in Morehead. She later showed a sheep and a big black bull!

           As always, bravo for hard work during the year taking care of the animals. I know T. wants to come another year.  For all of us spectators, it's always fun -- especially when the weather cooperates and it isn't too hot. The left over rains from the hurricane showed up the next day.